Needle hub



July 12, 1955 T. H. GEWECKE NEEDLE HUB Filed May 2l, 1954 M@ Z/eww,

JNVENTOR.

United States Patent() NEEDLE HUB Theodore H. Gewecke, Glenview, Ill., Baxter Laboratories, Inc.

Application May 21, 1954, Serial No. 431,542

7 Claims. (cl. 12s- 214) v assignor to tubing capable of withstanding external atmospheric pressure when its interior is evacuated, and a pair of needles ati'lxed to the ends of the tubing, permitting vena-puncture of the donor and puncture ofthe plug of the evacuated container. It is important that these rneedles be verytightly and securely attached to the tubing in order to preserve the vacuum existing within the transfusion system. Because of the difference in the diameters of the tubing and the needles, it is also necessary to incorporate a reducing feature of some kind into the needle hubs that connect the needles to the tubing.

Previously, expedients for making these reducing connections airtight have consisted of providing a solder seal about the juncture of the needle with the reducer hub and the further expedient of tightly clamping -the tubing, which is generally of a tlexiblenature, to the outside of the reducer hub.l

In the past a further problem has existed in the` design of the plug-in needle hub. This problem resulted from the fact that puncture area of the stopper was required to be of substantial thickness in order to cause the puncture to re-seal itself upon removal of the plug-in needle, and, therefore, considerable pressure had to be applied to the plug-in needle to cause it to penetrate the aforementioned thick plug. A plug closure of this type is described in Wayne D. Brandon Patent No. 2,457,120, issued December 28, 1948.

One expedient which resulted in easier puncture was to provide a flange about the needle against which pressure could be exerted. This proved inadequate because it was diicult to remove the needle at the end of the blood donation inasmuch as there was no corresponding ange against which pull out pressure could be applied. As a consequence, the attendant would manipulate the plug-in needle back and forth in an etort to dislodge it. These elorts often would enlarge the puncture to such an extent that it was frequently impossible for the puncture to seal itself. The expedient of limiting the insertion of the needle so as to provide adequate space under the flange for insertion of the attendants lingers to pull out the plug-in needle proved unsatisfactory because a longer needle was required, thereby increasing the cost of a set.

By the plug-in needle hub of my invention, I am able to provide a ready means for gripping the plug-in needle both for puncturing the thick plug and removal of the needle therefrom. In addition, I am able to tightly connect the tube to the needle at minimum cost of parts and minimum operations of labor, thereby achieving substantial savings in the production of an expendable transfusion set suitable for transfusion of donated blood.

My invention will be explained in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is an elevational view of a blood transfusion container shown in combination with a transfusion set which has been provided with the needle hubs of my invention; Fig. 2

-is an elevational view partially in cross-section showing one form of the hub of my invention; Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional View similar to Figure 2 showing a modified form of connector with tubing and needle secured thereto; and Fig. 4 is an elevational view partially in cross-section showing a modified form of the needle hub of my invention especially suitable for use with the needle adapted for insertion into the blood donor.

Referring to the drawings and, in particular, Fig. l, a blood collection container is generally designated 19. Container 10 includes a glass-body portion 11, band 12, bail 13, and closure 14. In usual practice, container 10 is mounted by means of bail 13 in mouth downward condition. Before use, container 1i) is partially evacuated in order to aspirate the blood from the vein of the donor. It also contains a suitable amount of anticoagulant solution. Transfusion set B includes tubing 15, plug-in needle 16, and donor needle 17. Some type of clamping means such as hemostat C is generally used to clamp tubing 15 in order to preserve the vacuum in container 10 during puncture of closure 14. After donor needle 17 has been inserted into the vein of the donor and plug-in needle 16 is inserted into the rubber closure plug 14 so as to communicate with the interior of glass container 11, hemostat C is unclamped and the transfusion operation is begun. Plug-in needle 16 is attached to tubing 15 by means of reducing hub 1S, shown in enlarged form in Fig. 2. Donor needle 17 is attached to tubing 15 by means of hub 19, shown in enlarged form in Fig. 4.

Referring now to Fig. 2, numeral 18 designates generally a needle hub. The hub includes a tubular body portion 20 having outwardly flared end portions 21. Disposed axially with respect to body portion 20 is inner tubular portion 22. Integral with body portion 29 and tubular portion 22 is transverse wall portion 23. Wall portion 23 maintains inner tubular portion 22 in axial relation to body portion 20. In the embodiment shown in Fig.'2, the connection of transverse wall 23 with tubular portion 22 is approximately midway the length of tubular portion 22.

The type of hub outlined can be cheaply made by casting, thereby further reducing the cost of parts in an eX- pendable transfusion set.

Tubular portion 22 is hollow, and the hollow portion 24 thereof is adapted to receive a parenteral needle 16. Annular space 25 is provided by spacing body portion 20 from tubular portion 22.

Hub 18 is incorporated into administration setV B by inserting needle 16 into the hollow portion 24 of inner tubular portion 22 and by inserting tubing 15 in the annular space 25 achieved by spacing body portion 2i) from inner tubular portion 22. As shown in Fig. 2, a tight securement of needle 16 to hub 18 and tubing 15 to hub 18 is achieved by clamping. In practice, it has been found that a Swaging operation effects air-tight joints. However, any mechanical operation capable of radially compressing portions of hub 18 are suitable to achieve the desired clamping.

Swaging the lower part of inner tubular portion 22 as at 26 provides an air-tight seal of needle 16 to hub 18. Swaging the wall portion of body 20 compresses tubing 15 between it and the upwardly extending part of inner that needle 16 be in air-tight engagement 'with tubular portion 22 Vat the two points indicated.

It is to be noted that the tubular portion 22 is characterized by a superior resistance to radially compressive deformation than is the body portion `2i) in order. to achieve a tight fitting engagement between Vhub .18 and tubing 15. in a similar fashion, the resistance to radially compressive deformation of tubular portion 22 is liess than that present in needle 16, thereby preventing collapse or substantial deformation of needle 16 by the squeezing operation.

Another form of connector is shown in Fig. 3, which is especially adapted to connect large diameter tubing to a needle. This is achieved by using a `series of reducers. Essentially, the connector includes a body portion 20 with dared ends 2', much the same as in the embodiment shown in Fig. 2. Primed numerals are-used in the description of this element, showing thereby-the similarity in the two forms of my invention. As'also shown in Fig. 2, the connector includes an integral tubular portion 22 axially disposed with respect to tubular body portion 20' and maintained in such axial relation by means ofV integral transverse wall portion 23. vAn essential diiference between the embodiment shown in Fig; '3 and that shown in Fig. 2 is that the transverse wall portion 23 is connected to tubular portion 22' at Vthe extreme end of tubular portion 22 rather than Vabout midway, as shown in Fig. 2. The surface offwall Y23' opposite the surface to which tubular portion 22 is connected is provided with a central recessed portion Needle 16' is secured to the connector hub by swaging at 24', as outlined above. Tubing 15 of transfusion'set B is secured to connector by means of reducing sleeve 28',.which'is inserted into recessed portion 27 and is crimped therein by grooving of the upper surface'of wall 23 as at 29'. The t by the reducer-ZSrvhich, in thevpreferred embodiment, is of a plastic material and tubing 15 is made tight by'means of introducing a Aplastic solvent material between the iitting Vsurfaces jand causing Vthese surfaces to become welded together.

A modiiied form of the connector of'my invention is shown in Fig. 4, which is essentially the same form as ythat shown in Fig. 2 but without flared end portions,

thereby particularly adapting `it for use as the donor insertion needle. It is apparentthat flared ends would prevent a substantially parallel insertion of the needle -such as is required in order to puncture the patients vein. This type of hub is also suitable for incorporation into other types of administration sets.

While in the foregoing specification I have set forth specific steps randprocedure asillustrative of my invention in considerable detail, it will be understood that such details may be varied widely by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of my invention. I claim: l. A needle hub for attaching a plug-in needle to the tubing of a parenteral administration set comprising a tubular body having outwardly flared end portions, a

smaller diameter tubular portion axially disposed therein and fa transverse wall connecting said tubular portion to said body and maintaining said tubular portion in axial relation tosaid body.

2. A single piece cast needle hub of the character specied comprising ra Vtub1.ilar*body having outwardly flared end portions, an integral smaller diameter tubular portion in spaced relation thereto and an integral transverse wall connecting said tubular portion to said body.

3. -A needle hub for 'attaching a plug-in needle to lthe tubingof a parenteral transfusion set comprising .a tubular body havingoutwardly flared end portions, a smaller diameter hollow tubular portion axially disposed therein whereby anannular-space is provided, said tubular ,portion Vbeing adapted to axially receive and peripherally Aclamp a parenteral needleyand a transverse wall connecting-said tubular portion vto said body.

V4. `An'eedlehub for'attaching a plug-in needle to the tubingof` afparenter'a'lf transfusion set comprising a tubular body-having outwardly Vared end portions, a smaller diameter hollowtub'ular por-tion axially ldisposed therein wherebyran annular spacei's provided, said tubular portion Abeing-adapted Ito axially receive and peripherally clamp aparenteral needle,- and a transverse wall connecti-ng said tubular portion to saidbody, said' tubular body being more resistant to deformation upon application vof lradiallycompressive vstress than said vbody but lessl resistant than said needle.

5. The ueedle'hub as set forth in claim 4 wherein 'the said transverse wall is connected to the said tubular portion ata point mediate the ends thereof.

6. "The needle'hub 'of claim 4 wherein the said transverse wall is connected tothe said tubular portion at 'one end thereof.

n7. Aneedle hub'of the character specified, comprising a tubular body having outwardly flared Vend portions, a smaller diameter. tubular portion axially disposed therein, vand 'a transverse wall connecting one end of /saidi tubular portion to'saidebody portion, the surface of said wall opposite said tubular portion being provided with a central*recessed portionrof greater diameter than the internal rdiarneterof said vtubular portion.

I References Citedin-thele of .thspatent UNrri-:D sTArEs'PATENTs Y 

